Scholarship & College Essays

Scholarship/application essays are the difference between earning the scholarship or admission and being overlooked. Many students have good scores and grades, have been involved in activities, and contribute to the community. The key is to put a human narrative on your experience. Communicating that narrative in a crisp, refreshing way while being grammatical and structurally sound is the challenge.

Essays are not a place to embellish or lie. However, take a deeper look at your experience. For example, babysitting is more than babysitting. Take an overarching look at it. It is being responsible for human life. Protecting, sometimes multiple, people from possible dangers, following their care needs, and communicating the events of the day to the primary caregivers are all key to providing quality child care.

If you do not have the experiences to create all the narrative you want, talk about where you are going. Highlight your goals and passions. Communicate how the schooling you seek is more than a steppingstone, it is a launching pad to where you want to go.

You do not need a sob story or live for noble causes to write a good essay. You can, however, highlight elements that separate you from others. Here are some essential pointers:

1. Answer the question- Essay prompts differ and most essays center around how you relate to one of four topics: Academic and Intellectual Interests, Community and Identity, Creativity, and Impact and Influence. Make sure your essay addresses the topic and is not a copy/paste of another essay.
   
2. Proofread- Be grammatically perfect. Have many people read your essay and be open to their feedback.
   
3. Voice- Try to show your passions to set you apart from others without being “cute.” Demonstrate your skills to shed light on the heart behind your message.
   
4. Be Specific- if you talk about their program, do your research as to why you want to be associated with it. If you have an example of you overcoming something, offer the details that make the accomplishment noteworthy.
   
5. Focus on the future- People want to know where you are going. Talk about how past events have shaped and prepared you to impact the world. Good stories have the main characters grow. How will you be better than you are now?

Looking for a graphic organizer for essay thoughts? Here is a link to get you started: https://www.ebsco.com/sites/g/files/nabnos191/files/acquiadam-assets/Essay-Writing-Graphic-Organizer-Handout.pdf.

MaiaLearning also has a GREAT resource on admission/scholarship essays.

1. Log into your MaiaLearning account via your https://myapps.plcschools.org.
2. Go to Resources near the bottom of the left-hand side.
3. Choose the Maia Resources tab.
4. Under College Resources, you will find College Admission Essays.
   

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